Jun 14, 2012

The sweet aroma of bell peppers simmering slowly all day long with onions and chicken in crushed tomatoes will make you a very happy person when you get home from work. Serve this over your favorite pasta, rice or polenta and enjoy!

Cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian, often the chicken is dusted with flour and fried in oil before simmering in tomatoes with onions and peppers. This skinny version removes the skin and skips the deep frying, but you won't miss it.

When using your crock pot, I always recommend browning the meat and vegetables first for deeper flavors and a thicker sauce because liquids don't evaporate in the slow cooker.

But for those of you who don't want to dirty a pan, or don't have that extra time to brown first I tested this out using the quick method of dumping it all in the slow cookers.

Verdict: The sauce wasn't as thick as I would have liked, so my easy fix: I set the crock pot to high with the cover off for one additional hour to let it simmer and thicken and that worked fine. Perhaps adding a little flour would also help i thicken. If you want to add mushrooms to the sauce, this would also be a great time to do so.

If you are a white meat girl, you can certainly use chicken breast but I highly recommend keeping the chicken on the bone. The bone is what gives you such great flavor, you can always remove it after.

For the stove top version, see Chicken Cacciatore. Cooking on the stove differs from the crock pot, liquids evaporate quickly on the stove where as in the slow cooker nothing evaporates. When you add all the elements to your crock, you may be tempted to add broth but don't. There will be plenty of liquid once it starts cooking. Also, flavors tend to get muted in the slow cooker, so I always adjust my herbs and seasoning in the end to get it where I want it.

Quick method: Season chicken with salt and black pepper and place in the slow cooker. Pour tomatoes over the chicken, top with onions and peppers, add oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper, give it a quick stir and cover. Set crock pot to LOW 8 hours or HIGH 4 hours. When the timer beeps, remove lid and keep the crock pot on HIGH one hour to help it thicken.

Better method but requires more prep: Heat a large skillet over medium-high, lightly spray with oil (I use my Misto) and brown chicken on both sides a few minutes, season with salt and pepper. Add to the slow cooker. To the skillet, spray with a little more oil and add onions and peppers. Sauté until juices release and the vegetables become golden, a few minutes.

Add to the slow cooker. Pour tomatoes over the chicken and vegetables, add oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper, give it a quick stir and cover. Set crock pot to LOW 8 hours or HIGH 4 hours.

Remove bay leaf, adjust salt and pepper and enjoy!

* Pasta not included in nutritional info.

231 comments
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I have chicken thawing in the fridge and was just wondering what to do with it and up pops this recipe! And, I have everything I need. I'll have to make it with breast meat today, but can't wait to try it with thighs.

I've done it with beef . . . but don't put the ceramic crock in the refrigerator over night. It will take too long to get up to safe cooking temperature when you turn it on. I refrigerate in a covered bowl and throw it all in the crock pot in the morning.

I've done the browning with chicken the night before many times and have never had any issues. You definately need to refrigerate chicken over night, though. And I agree with Marion about putting the ceramic insert in the fridge -- it adds significant time to cook time just for the insert and food to get to temperature. Good luck!

I would not recommend browning the meat the night before, as this will bring the food to a warm temperature without cooking it right away, paving the way for bacterial growth in the meat. A safer way would be to prep the veggies the night before and store them in ziploc bags until morning. You could have the skin already removed from the breasts or thighs (or both, which is what I do to please all members of the family) In the a.m., allow the extra 5-10 min to brown the meat. Put all the stuff in the crock-pot on high for the first hour. If you work outside the home, head to the shower, dress for work, turn crock-pot to low before you head out the door. If you don't work outside the home,(like me) enjoy the smell during the day and make sure that you don't taste it until the end of the day. (A friend of mine could not resist the smell of some chicken dish that she was cooking and tasted it--got pretty sick from the juices of the uncooked chicken, even though she didn't taste the meat itself)

I have made something like this in the past, but with zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and a jar of spaghetti sauce---and skinless breasts. My recipe doesn't call for browning the meat first, though. Great way to use the veggies in your garden in the summer without heating up the kitchen! This looks wonderful and I can't wait to try it! I love your recipes so much!

Im planning on making this one day this week. We are over ran with zucchini and squash right now. Do I just add them in the place of the peppers or do I need to wait and add close to the end of cooking. Just dont want them to get to soft.

Real Chicken Cacciatore is not made with peppers or onions the it is made with mushrooms only. for anyone that cannot eat peppers. too many recipes include peppers and i am forever subing with other veggies.

This would be good info, if it was actually true, but real Chicken Cacciatore DOES include peppers, but feel free to substitute something else, since you wouldn't obviously want to die, just to eat an authentic dish. Lots of people are allergic to lots of things...they make substitutes, its not complicated, its called survival of the fittest.

Make sure you buy regular crushed tomatoes, and it will be smooth. Some brands now offer "chunky crushed" tomatoes, which wouldn't work for your husband. I don't think tomato sauce is a good substitute -- it's a different flavor from crushed tomatoes.

This is exactly how I cook it except I also add a little bit of celery chopped fine. I like the flavor it adds. I have never done it in the crock pot, however. I brown, then simmer on the stove. I am going to try the crock pot version asap! Thank you!

If you are doing it the quick way, do you put the chicken in frozen or thawed? Thanks - I can't wait to try this! Every recipe from your website has been fantastic and I have my co-workers hooked on your site now too!!-Keri

Hi Gina. I make a very similar chicken cacciatore dish. I cut up chunks of chicken breast and coat them with flour in a baggie. It's a very small amount of flour (maybe 1/4 of a cup or so at most) and the one time I forgot to use the flour there was a very noticeable change in consistency. Hope this helps!

Crock pot recipes are my favorite! So easy and...so easy! I've made a version of this before and agree that you get such good flavor using the chicken on the bone. This is one of my favorite and most satisfying meals! #nom

Made this for dinner last night. Used the "better" method with browning, added mushrooms for the last hour and cooked on high with the lid off. So, I guess I used both methods! ;) I've never cooked with bone-in thighs so I was nervous about how well it would go over with the family, but the bones just slid right out of the meat when it was done. I easily pulled them out before serving so no one had the hassle, and I was able to utilize the benefit of the flavor. It was a big hit with my dad and husband. Served it over pappardelle noodles. Yum! Thank you, Gina!

Made this for dinner last night for my family and they loved it! I've already made a few of your recipes and they've all been good. Thank you for sharing these healthy options (I'm on WW too) and I look forward to making more of your meals for my family <3

I made this for supper and all I had was the boneless, skinless chicken thighs. It was very good but I can see where the bones would add more flavor. It's a keeper for me. I ate it over whole wheat couscous. I emailed it to my brother. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe.

I made this tonight, and it was delicious! After browning the chicken, I deglazed the pan with a little white wine before adding the peppers and onions. It added a nice layer of flavor. Thanks for the great crock pot recipe!

made this for dinner last night - it was fabulous! will definitely make again and soon. I cranked the cp to high for the last hour with the lid off as you suggested and it was the perfect consistency. the fresh herbs added at the very end was a nice touch. served it over barilla whole wheat linguini for a healthy meal and sprinkled a little freshly grated asiago cheese, yummmmmmmmthank you Gina!!!!

Hi Gina, I made this last night (yum!). I cheated and did the quick method, so I know that it would have had more flavor if I did it the other way, but I wonder if I also did adjust my seasonings enough? I remember you mentioning in various recipes about adjusting the herbs and spices - I added more at the end when I took the lid off for an hour. Do you adjust them throughout the whole cooking time?

I've been trying to add more protein in my diet, especially at breakfast, so I can't wait to try those oats this week! :)

I found it to be pretty bland, too, but the rest of my family really liked it. If I were to make it again, I would absolutely increase the seasonings and even though I did the longer method, I would also do the step where you leave the top off for an hour.

I made this yesterday to save for dinner tonight....(I can't use my crock while at work, I'm gone too long) It smelled amazing, and I can't wait til dinner! I'm going to have it over pureed califlower(just because I love it) I will make some rice or pasta for my boyfriend. YUM! Thanks for all your recipes! I've made at least 30 or so by now, and I've made several 2x already(chicken sabroso is a fav in my house)...So far I'm down 25lbs. Thanks again!

I used chicken drumsticks because I had them in the freezer. All I can say is wow! it was soo good. I am usually a boneless chicken breast person and I usually don't like the chicken legs but it was a winner in my house!!! Even my picky kids ate it. We had it over penne and it was very filling and a great points value. Thanks for the recipe!!!

I made this last night, and wanted leftovers for lunch, but didn't want all the carbs and calories from the pasta...so I made chicken cacciatore flatbread pizza! I took a 100 calorie sandwich thin, topped with the cacciatore and a small bit of part-skin mozzarella, and had the best lunch EVER!

delicious the first time around, but looking at the leftovers in the fridge, i decided to doctor it up a bit. i sauteed up a bunch more peppers, onions and mushrooms and added that for the 2nd day meal and skipped the pasta all together - didn't miss it at all! great recipe to add to the crock pot arsenal! thanks :)

I thought this was delicious, I made it exactly as written and didn't find it bland at all. I added more salt and pepper in the end and enjoyed it over pasta with grated cheese. THANK YOU!! Kids and husband LOVED it!!

I made this the "slow way" and it was absolutely fantastic! My husband said it was "restaurant quality," and I have to say that I agreed; it was bursting with flavor. The recipe gave us some leftovers, too, and it was just as good, if not better, each time. Thank you so much!!!

I made this last night and really enjoyed it! I used boneless skinless thighs and it was cooked to perfection after 6.5 hrs on low in my slow cooker. I had browned the meat and sauteed the vegetables like you recommended. I did not have a bay leaf or fresh herbs, but the canned tomatoes came seasoned with basil and I upped the oregano a bit to make up for it. I also added a can of tomato paste to thicken the sauce after seeing your comment about the sauce not being as thick as you'd hoped for. I was first drawn to this recipe because of its short ingredient list and fast, simple prep, but was worried about how flavorful it could actually be. Verdict-flavorful sauce + tender meat = incredibly easy, delicious weeknight meal! Thanks for sharing!

I am making this tonight and we are having guests for dinner. I have come to love your recipes so much that I even break my own rule of always trying something first before serving it to guests. Thanks so much!

Gina, I am normally not a fan of tomato based dishes (just a personal thing) but I made it for the hubs because he does. Holy cow, I am in heaven! I could eat this every day! I guess it's because this is the first time I haven't used canned sauce. So delicious. I put a little extra salt on the chicken so I didn't feel like I needed to adjust the flavors at the end. Served it up with brown rice instead of pasta because I ran out and it was SOOOO GOOOOOOD! Thank you!

P.S. - Hurry up with that cookbook! I'll but it the seconds it becomes available!

Made this a few weeks ago and froze it. Had it tonight and the whole family loved it! It was so tasty, and so easy to make! I did substitute boneless chicken breasts and I can't believe how tender the meat came out... shreddred so eaily with a fork. Mmmmmm..... so glad when I made it I did a double batch (loving my new 7qt slow cooker).

I decided to cook this on the stove for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. I browned the meat first & cooked down the vegetables. I'm very excited to try this recipe!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I'll let you know how it turns out!!

OMG!!!!!!!!!!! I mad this tonight and it was outrageous! I seasoned the chicken before sauteing with salt, pepper and chicken seasoning. I also added some fresh sliced mushrooms and garlic when sauteing the veggies. I also added a splash of rose wine and chicken broth. This was OUTRAGEOUS!!!!!! Thanks for another great recipe!

Do chicken thighs have a strong smell to them? I just pulled out of pkg and the sell by date is two days away but I have never cooked thighs before but felt they had sort of a strong smell so not sure if that is normal. I usually only do boneless breast.

My husband hates chicken thighs, so not I used boneless breasts and didn't brown them beforehand and I have to say this NEVER happens on Skinnytaste, but we didn't love it. It was kinda bland. SO...next time I shall try the chicken thighs and brown them before, b/c I assume from all the comments that is what it was lacking! :)

Made tonight and was amazing! We definitely didn't think was bland. I used 28oz trader Joe's low sodium marinara sauce and a tablespoon of italian seasoning. We also added about 2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. I used the harder method and seasoned the thighs with garlic powder as well as s and p. Then added the veggies, scrapping up the browned bits and seasoning left from the chicken. Put it in a bowl, stuck it in the fridge over night and cooked on low for only 7 hrs. Oh ma gawd!!!! We had it over spaghetti squash. Wow. One of the best skinnytaste recipes have made and have probably made over 50 over the past year!

This looks great! I have to ask, though - how did you come up with 4 PP? I entered in all of the ingredients into my WW calculator and came up with 8PP. I hate to ask, but I'm confused since that's double what is listed from your calculations! I'm not including any pasta, etc, in the list of ingredients.

I did the "Better Method" and I am sure it paid off though I haven't eaten it yet. I made it overnight and now it is in my freezer. Luckily after making another recipe I had leftover linguini so I dont have to make any more pasta. It smells wonderful. I am sure after I thaw it out I will have to add some more seasoning but either way the extra step and all was sure to be worth it. Thanks for another easy breezy recipe!

I just made this today doing it the way you recommended and it was delish! I didnt have bay leaves, but had basil so I used that instead. Seasoned with salt once done and it was perfect! Thank you for sharing this recipe!

Made this tonight for the 6th time in about 8 weeks. It keeps getting better and better. I ran out of crushed Tuttorosso tomatoes, but for some reason I have plenty of the diced variety (must have just grabbed whatever during a BOGO sale at Publix!). I've made it with the diced kind before, but it was too runny. This time, I dumped the can in the blender and pulsed for a few seconds. I was worried it was too frothy, but after eight hours in the crock pot, it was just like the crushed variety I usually use -- maybe even better. Also, I sliced the peppers into thicker strips. Always love to see all those great veggies and not have them disappear (visually, not nutritionally) when the mix cooks down.

I served this over rice (because I forgot to buy pasta and didn't realize until it was way too late!) and it was DELICIOUS. Used chicken thighs, and they were falling off the bone as I was serving it. looooove it!!

I made these last week and everyone in my house loved them and I am the only one trying to lose weight. I love coming on this site and finding new things to make. Everything I have made has been a huge success. I never knew losing weight and eating right could be this easy.

DELICIOUS! My husband and I loved this meal. I especially loved getting all the vegetables in with so much good flavor.

I want to make this on Saturday for 10 college students, and I have a 5 quart crock pot. Should I plan to use 10 thighs and some extra veggies in the crock pot? That's what I'd prefer for ease of clean-up and because the rest of the day is busy.

Also, what are some sides that would go well with this meal? I'm planning to serve it with rice, but I think I need to serve one or two more sides to make sure there's enough to go around. (I'm planning on apple crisp and ice cream for dessert.) Thank you!

See my review below but I used 10 thighs because that's what came in the value pack and I added more vegetables - 1 green peppers, 1 red pepper, 1 onion, and I also added mushrooms at the end. It was perfect. I served over egg noodles, but rice is great.

I made this today and I have one word to describe it... AMAZING! I just had a second helping after running errands. The house smelled fantastic too! The chicken was literally falling off the bone... YUMMMM!!! Can't wait for left overs tomorrow. :)

Gina,you may have already answered this in a previous post but I didn't see if you did. If I used bone-in chicken breasts would that still give the flavor that the original recipe does? Just curious, since we aren't dark meat fans.

I have a whole chicken which I need to use up as it expires tomorrow - just wondering if I can cook a whole chicken in a slow cooker or should I do it in the oven first and then shred the chicken up and cook with the remaining ingredients. What do you think?

Just recently made this and it was delicious! I made 10 chicken thighs (it was a value pack that was on sale) so I put extra vegetables and portioned it out to freeze the extras. I also added mushrooms during the last hour that you cook without the lid and red pepper flakes because my husband and I like a little heat. Other than that, pretty much kept it the same. Served over egg noodles. I do agree that you need to add a bit more seasoning (salt and pepper) before serving. Another thumbs up.

I had some chicken breasts in the fridge I had no idea what to do with and wanted something new. I happened to also have some cherry tomatoes and mini bell peppers from a veggie platter from Christmas.

I chose to brown them because I know chicken breatss can be rubbery if just thrown in the crock pot. I also added a dash of garlic salt, and salted and peppered both the browning chicken breasts and the veggies liberally.

Since I only had a few cherry tomatoes, I used a can of tomato sauce and threw in a few baby carrots just cuz I like veggies. When it was near finished, it did seem a little watery and bland, so I threw in an additional tsp salt and a second can of tomato sauce to thicken it up- turned out great! The chicken breasts had none of that rubbery-ness to them that they get if not prepared, and shredded really nicely in with the veggies and sauce. Glad I found this recipe!

We LOVED this recipe! We had been making regular (stovetop) chicken cacciatore and it was really good but decided to try the crock pot recipe. Well we are never going back to the stove top now! The crock pot made the thighs SO tender, they just fell apart. This will be a regular in our house!!

I am a fairly new cook and so far have had bad luck with other sites. I made a lot of mediocre recipes last year! I am very grateful to have found this site because your recipes are tasty and easy to make. This recipe is really good -- I followed it exactly (long method; on high for 4 hours). Next time I think I will add more oregano though for a little extra flavor. I can't wait to make this again. Thanks!

Amazing!! I love to cook but am constantly "editing" recipes to make them WW friendly! Your site has changed my life!! I used boneless/skinless thighs, extra onions, different colored peppers and a hint of crushed red pepper . . . so good!! There hasn't been one Skinnytaste recipe that wasn't most excellent! Thank you!!

I made this today for dinner - SO GOOD! My mum got me a crock pot for Christmas and it has been the greatest addition to my apartment. Rather than plain crushed tomatoes, I bought crushed tomatoes with garlic and herbs in it (in addition to the bay leaf and oregano already in the recipe). It definitely adds a boost of flavor to what some are calling a bland meal. I recommend!

Absolutely Delecious! I loved the depth of flavour the sauce got as it blipped away slowly.The only adjustments I made was to add a couple cloves of minced garlic and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes,other then that..perfect!

Have this in the crock pot right now! Used breasts instead of thighs. I'm going to add mushrooms for the last hour, and I also am going to shred the chicken once it's done and stir it back into the sauce :)

Even though I browned the chicken and veggies beforehand, the sauce still turned out to be more of a soup. I thought it was delicious and I will make it again, but next time, I think I'll add a can of tomato paste at the end, to thicken it into more of a sauce. I also added a little bit of red pepper flakes, to give it a little kick. :)

Just finished putting this in the crock pot. I've made it once before and it was DEE-LISH !!! We had pasta last night so I'm going to serve it over brown rice tonight..... Already looking forward to supper.

I'm gonna use drumsticks for this tomorrow, they're thawing now & I'm so excited! I have two or three cans of STEWED tomatoes... Should I just put them in a blender to smooth them out? Do you think I'd do better using pasta sauce instead? I also have a small can of tomato paste...but I can't go back to the store anytime soon. Please! Advice anyone?

I made this on Monday and both the hubby and I loved it. If possible, it tastes even better as leftovers. We served this over no yolk noodles and a little grated parm. Your site is amazing and I have tried a few recipes (including the pulled pork - another hit btw with my brother and friend). I love that you give the WW points as well.

I usually like the recipes on your site (have to adjust spices to taste), but this one I didn't like at all. Nobody finished the dinner & all the leftovers were thrown away. It was really bland, even after adding a lot of spices. Maybe we are just used to chicken breast, but this recipe was really disappointing (a sloppy version of the real dish). :(

Just wondering about how much your eight chicken thighs weighed? My eight thighs weighed 2 lbs, 9 ozs... and a single serving came out to 10 ppv when I figured it using Weight Watchers' Recipe Builder. The only extra thing I added was a 16 oz. can of diced tomatoes. My point plus count is BEFORE noodles -- quite a difference from the 4 ppv you posted! My husband and I loved it, however.

just started the true crockpot version (no browning) with skinless boneless thighs. i have an aversion to touching raw meat. we're also trying to be healthier, so i buy skinless and the bone-in variety had all kinds of skin that I wasn't about to touch. whole wheat pasta noodles have been bought. dinner will start smelling awesome in a couple hours. i hope it tastes as good as the recipe predicts.